Abhanga 1820
Since God already knows your heart and your life is already surrendered, there is no need for anxious repeated worry, only the honest cry for mercy.
The verse
मुखें बोलावें तें जीविंचें जाणसी । विदित पायांपाशीं सर्व आहे ॥१॥ आतां हें चि भलें भाकावी करुणा । विनियोग तो जाणां तुम्ही त्याचा ॥ध्रु.॥ आपलें तों येथें केलें नव्हे कांहीं । साधनाचा वांहीं पडों नये ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देह दिला पिंडदान । वेळोवेळां कोण चिंता करी ॥३॥
Literal translation
What the mouth speaks of the heart, you know — all is known at (your) feet. Now this is the better way — to invoke karuṇā — the application, you know. Of ours, nothing has been done here — don't fall into the trap of sādhana. Tuka says: the body has been given as piṇḍa-dāna — who makes worry time-and-time?.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मुखें बोलावें तें जीविंचें जाणसी | "what the mouth speaks — of the heart — you know" |
| विदित पायांपाशीं सर्व आहे | "known — at (your) feet — all is" |
| आतां हें चि भलें भाकावी करुणा | "now this is the better way — to invoke karuṇā" |
| विनियोग तो जाणां तुम्ही त्याचा | "the application — you know — of it" |
| आपलें तों येथें केलें नव्हे कांहीं | "ours — here — nothing has been done" |
| साधनाचा वांहीं पडों नये | "into the trap (vāmhī) — of sādhana — don't fall" |
| तुका म्हणे देह दिला पिंडदान | "Tuka says — body — given — as piṇḍa-dāna" |
| वेळोवेळां कोण चिंता करी | "time and time — who makes worry" |
What it means
Lord-knows-heart + don't-fall-in-sādhana-trap + body-given-as-piṇḍa-dāna abhang.
The opening: mukhē bōlāvē tē jīviñcē jāṇasī — vidita pāyāmpāśīm sarva āhē — what the mouth speaks of the heart, you know — all is known at (your) feet. The Lord-knows the heart-already; nothing-needs to-be-explained.
The karuṇā-line: ātām hē chi bhalē bhākāvī karuṇā — viniyōga tō jāṇām tumhī tyācā — now this is the better way — to invoke karuṇā — the application, you know. Bhākāvī karuṇā = to invoke / cry-for karuṇā; viniyōga = the application / use. The bhakta's-only-job is to invoke-karuṇā; the application is the Lord's-knowledge.
The sādhana-trap line: āpalē tōm yēthē kēlē navhē kāhīm — sādhanācā vāmhī paḍōm nayē — of ours, nothing has been done — don't fall into the trap of sādhana. Vāmhī = the snare, trap. The bhakta hasn't-actually-done anything; don't-fall-into-the-trap of thinking-sādhana-is-yours. (= anti-sādhana-pride; sādhana-is-grace, not-self-effort.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē dēha dilā piṇḍa-dāna — vēḷō-vēḷām kōṇa cintā karī — Tuka says: the body has been given as piṇḍa-dāna — who makes worry time-and-time?. Piṇḍa-dāna = the offering of the funeral-rice-ball (= the formal-ritual surrender of the body to the deva). The body has-been-formally-offered as piṇḍa-dāna; who-still-worries about-it?. (= total-offering of body, no-need-for-recurring-anxiety.)
This abhang has three doctrines: Lord-knows-the-heart, sādhana-is-not-self-effort, body-already-given-so-no-worry. A compact total-surrender abhang.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what the mouth speaks of the heart, you know — all is known at your feet; now this is the better way — to invoke karuṇā — you know its application; nothing of ours has been done here — don't fall into the sādhana-trap; Tuka says — the body has been given as piṇḍa-dāna — who makes worry, time-and-time?.
Where this applies
- When you feel you must explain your feelings to God or others in perfect words, and realize that being known matters more than being articulate
- When you catch yourself feeling proud of your own spiritual effort or discipline, as if you earned grace through willpower alone
- When you have done everything you honestly can and now must simply wait, instead of controlling the outcome
- When worry keeps returning about something you have already fully committed or surrendered to a larger purpose